Karnataka: Congress leader R V Devaraj dies at 67
Bengaluru (PTI): Congress leader and former MLA R V Devaraj passed away in Mysuru, party sources said on Tuesday.
He died at the age of 67 after suffering a heart attack on Monday night, they said.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condoled the death, saying the news of the passing of Devaraj—former MLA of the Chickpet Assembly constituency and a senior Congress leader—was deeply saddening.
"Devaraj, who was known for his ideological commitment and concern for the people, worked tirelessly for many years as a loyal and dedicated member of the Congress. He should have been with us for many more years," Siddaramaiah said in a post on 'X'.
"I pray that the departed soul rests in peace and that strength is granted to his family members and admirers to bear this loss," he added.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar also said the news of Devaraj’s death had brought profound sorrow. "His contributions to the Chickpet constituency through politics and social service are immeasurable," he said in a post on 'X'.
Shivakumar said Devaraj’s passing was a great loss to the state’s politics and to the Chickpet constituency.
"May Devaraj’s soul attain peace. I pray that the Almighty grants strength to his family members and admirers to bear this grief," he added.
Devaraj, a three-time MLA, was elected from the Chamarajpet constituency on a Congress ticket in 1989 and 1999.
In 2004, he vacated the seat for then Chief Minister S M Krishna, who went on to win the election.
After the delimitation exercise, Devaraj returned to the Assembly in 2013, this time representing the Chickpet constituency.
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Russian military hardware, spare parts for Indian military to be manufactured in India
New Delhi (PTI): Russia agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of military hardware and spare parts for maintenance of Russian-origin arms and defence equipment.
Ways to bolster overall bilateral defence cooperation figured prominently during summit talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
It has been a long-standing grievance of armed forces that the supply of critical spares and equipment from Russia takes a long time, affecting the maintenance of military systems procured from that country.
"Both sides agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of spare parts, components, aggregates and other products for maintenance of Russian origin arms and defence equipment under Make-in-India programme through transfer of technology," a joint statement said.
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It said both sides also agreed to set up joint ventures for meeting the needs of the Indian armed forces as well as subsequent export to mutually friendly third countries.
The joint statement said the India-Russia defence partnership is being reoriented to take up joint co-development and co-production of advanced defence technology and systems.
In their meeting on Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov resolved to expand bilateral defence cooperation.
In the meeting, the Indian side showed keen interest in procurement of additional batches of S-400 missile systems from Moscow to bolster its combat prowess.
In October 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding a warning by the US that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions under the provisions of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Three squadrons have already been delivered.
The S-400 systems played a crucial role during Operation Sindoor. India may also look at procuring the S-500 missile systems from Russia.
In the Modi-Putin talks, the two sides also agreed to continue jointly developing systems of bilateral trade settlements through the use of national currencies.
Additionally, the two sides agreed to continue their consultations on enabling the interoperability of the national payment systems, financial messaging systems, as well as central bank digital currency platforms.
Modi and Putin appreciated the ongoing intensification of the joint work on a free trade agreement on goods between India and the Eurasian Economic Union, covering sectors of mutual interest, the joint statement said.
They also directed both sides to intensify efforts in negotiations on a mutually beneficial agreement on the promotion and protection of investment, it said.
India and Russia also welcomed steps to ensure long-term supply of fertilisers to India and discussed the potential establishment of joint ventures in this area.
